Item 22 - Approve an Operational Agreement with Illumination Foundation

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Agreement with Illumination Foundation for Operation of Homeless Navigation Center September 7, 2021 Page 2 construction, and operation of a year-round Homeless Navigation Center. In June 2020, the City Council approved an agreement with Illumination Foundation to operate, develop, and construct a year-round Homeless Navigation Center and recuperative care facility at 1815 Carnegie Avenue. In March 2021, the City Council terminated that agreement when the original cost estimate for building improvements escalated. In the process of terminating the agreement, staff split the project into two components; one component to address the building improvements and one component to operate the shelter. The City Council approved a lease and commencement of building improvements with the property owner and the release of a future RFP for the operation of the Homeless Navigation Center. The new RFP eliminated the recuperative care module at the shelter. The City received applications from three organizations for the operation of the Homeless Navigation Center: Volunteers of America, Illumination Foundation, and Mercy House Living Centers, Inc. The deliberation, selection and review process included the assembly of a review panel composed of the Homeless Services Manager, the Housing Division Manager, the Housing Programs Analyst, and the Chief Program Officer of City Net. Each written proposal was reviewed and each organization was invited to present their proposal via video (due to the COVID-19 pandemic). After the interviews, the organizations were scored. Illumination Foundation scored the highest, followed by Mercy House Living Centers, Inc. and Volunteers of America. The top two organizations were invited to a second interview to discuss budgets and operations more thoroughly and included both the Assistant City Manager and Santa Ana Police Department Quality of Life Team officers into the final interview. Following the second in -person meeting, Mercy House Living Centers, Inc. withdrew their application for the operator of the shelter. It is the recommendation of the review panel that Illumination Foundation be awarded the operator of the Homeless Navigation Center. In October, 2020, Illumination Foundation became the operator of the Link Shelter. Their professionalism and approach to shelter operations was immediately recognized by City staff and Link clients. Illumination Foundation operated the Link shelter for six months before transferring all clients to the temporary navigation center at the recuperative care facility in the city of Fullerton. Additionally, Illumination Foundation staff understood the magnitude of the outreach and referral process and worked with outreach teams to refine each step. Currently, the cohesive referral process between Illumination Foundation and City -approved outreach team —City Net, Orange County Health Care Agency, and the Santa Ana Police Department —ensures that all policies and control steps are followed. This synergy of shared expectations, teamwork, and actions enable referrals, in -takes, and shelter operations to run smoothly and with better outcomes for clients. Illumination Foundation currently operates three family emergency shelters across Orange County, an emergency shelter and navigation center in the City of Anaheim, and several other shelters throughout Southern California. This past year, Illumination Foundation was on the front lines in providing shelter and medical recuperative care to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 through the countywide program, Project Roomkey. As evidenced by the operation of this program, Illumination Foundation is not only committed